A proving of Saussurea obvallata

by Martin Jakob

Botany The plant occurs
throughout a wide range, extending from elevations of 3000-4500 m. It is
found on alpine, grassy slopes with rocky bases and near streams, in the Himalayas. Saussurea obvallata grows up to a height of 30 cm. It is a perennial and striking herb with
large, pale yellow, boat-shaped, papery bracts surrounding the dense cluster of flower
heads. This surrounding gives the plant the opportunity to flower in this
height, as a protection and as isolation
against the cold. The flower heads are several, in a dense umbel-like cluster,
each 1.5-2.5 cm long and with involucral bracts with black margins and nearly
hairless tips. Several encircling, ovate, bristly-margined, translucent and
conspicuously veined bracts overlap the flowers. The leaves are
oblong-lanceolate, blunt, toothed, lower stalked, upper half-clasping with the blade continuing in a stout stem
15-45 cm long. The taste of the plant is bitter.

HinduismKamal means ‘lotus flower’ in Sanskrit. Lotus
is the symbol of the holy flower, a metaphor for beauty, shaped expression of
holiness. Brahma is personified as an old man, as a giver of laws and ways of
destiny, personified as a ruler of the world. His wife is Saravati (Ganga). He is seen as creator, as an embodiment of great
variety in oneness. He always changes
his form to create different living creatures and is therefore present in all.
He is the God of a Thousand Faces.

Culture: Temples,
offerings to Lord Brahma; the lotus (kamal) of the creator (Brahma)

Source: Dried plant, flower, petal and stem

Background: The dry plant was given as a gift by friends, a
Brahmin and a Kshhatriya (Warrior) in Gangotri, near
the source of the Ganga in Uttarkashi District, Uttaramchal, India. For
further proving information to Aqua Ganga see also: www.c1000.de/info/

The situation of this
remedy is of somebody who thinks he is really free, he is on the top, and he does
not have to do anything for it, only to be it. They can be teachers, like a
guru, someone who has knowledge. They can have an ancient feeling, like a hermit
with wisdom. But when you look deeper you realise there are still some
unresolved issues. The person is not really free, and the solution is to realise
this and accept to be unfree; this is the way to freedom. It is not a fight for
freedom – acceptation is freedom. Life is not a problem, it is an experience.

Stage 10This remedy is probably
at stage 10. The obvious quality of “being free” points to it. The flower is
used to worship Lord Brahma. All key-words of stage 10 are quite prominent in
the proving.Two-sided, or an inside
and an outside which protects the inside.

My space, my freedom They do not like it if
people come too close in their communication; it is as if they feel flooded
with words and they feel oppressed by it. If they are tired, it is like a cocoon
(DD: Cerium) around them; impressions and communication do not reach them. They
want to have the opposite of narrowness in their life. They can feel clear, sovereign
and self-confident, and have a resolute and fighting quality for their freedom.
In stage 10, you do not have to fight anymore because you are already at the
top; that is probably the reason why fighting for freedom, for ‘my space’ is
not so strongly expressed, but the quality is there nonetheless.

Protection,
protective cover When you are busy with
protection, with fighting for or protecting (= maintaining, stage 10) your
freedom, you are not able to realise what really goes on inside. The inner feelings
can even be suppressed or unconscious; this is probably strongest in this
remedy because it is in stage 10. They can also feel unprotected, put out in
the cold and naked. They probably had to fight for their protection, for their
space; freedom is a way of protection. They can be fighters.

Recognition,
acknowledgement They have a need for
admiration, they want to be “somebody” (DD: Asteraceae, Carbon series). In this
remedy, they already have admiration, but there is still a longing for it. This
can sometimes come across as boasting and arrogance (stage 10). They like to
show themselves in the best possible light.

Clarity, straight,
overview They can be quite
straight forward and clear in what they want; they can be leaders and know
where to go. They can be confrontational, perhaps because of competiveness and
in order to gain recognition.

Two sided, outside
and inside They have a shiny outside,
which is also a protection; it keeps one warm and cosy. But it has a darker
inside, a part that needs to be looked at in order to go further in life. The
outside can be rational and intellectual, whereas the inside has to do with
instincts.

Tingling, movements,
pulsating in the upper chest, as if opening up, freeing

Bitterness

Accidents

Stretching ameliorates

Yawning ameliorates

Hard pressure ameliorates

Body Shattered

Radiating heat from
skin

Heaviness

Strength of the
ligaments and muscles

Detoxification

Head: apoplexie, stroke – clear and fresh in the head again, heavy
tired feeling in both temples, headache, crossways over
the forehead, 3 – 4 am, desire to lie on the floor, desire for
hard pressure to lie on, but no >, desire stretching but no >. Clumsy and
awkward, dropping things, walking into furniture, etc.

Face: feeling as if there is no face when washing
it, 4.15 am, especially, I don´t feel the forehead on the left side, as if a
stroke, in the morning the heat from yesterday is gone, more cold now (has
taken an Aspirin), need a winter blanket (20 degrees in the room).

Mouth: taste bitter (taste of the plant is
also bitter – liver connection)

Kidneys: dull pain
right kidney, feels like an old, wet sack, like a heavy weight in the back, hard
pressure, warmth amel. Better sitting with the right hand pressed in the back, stretching
forward amel, lying on a hot water bottle with the pressure directly on the kidney amel.

Bladder: urination
nighttime increased, in general more frequent urination

Limbs: pain left wrist, left ankle, left
shoulder no strenth in it, injuries of muscles, ligaments, bruises, tearing
pain in right knee, like a rupture of the meniscus

Jan Scholten has given
us the information that the Cardueae, a subfamily of the Asteraceae, have the
theme of “Liberator, liberation” or in other words “fight for freedom”.

I think this proving is
a good confirmation of this theme. As I have written above, we can have the
impression that fighting is not a real topic in this proving, but I think this
has probably to do with the stage 10. Stage 10 is the top, and when you are on
top, you have no need to fight anymore.